ATM Cards in Italy
Jun 29th, 2005, 04:00 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ATM Cards in Italy
Hi.I have been refering to past post on this topic.Could the recent travelers to Italy please post also.My concerns are this; I have read take only atm cards,others have said to take atm cards {debits], and of this morning I had read on messages posted nearly one year ago,that these cards will not work unless the have visa or mastercard logo.My cards have no logo. Also, if atm cards do not work what is a good backup? A regular credit card .If so the interest begins when you establish the transaction right? thanks for all ideas on this topic. thanks again.
Jun 29th, 2005, 04:17 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 25,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A debit card can be used as an ATM card and there will be no interest accrual because the money comes straight from your bank account. Using a credit card to get cash is never a good idea unless it's an emergency, as interest does accrue.
I have used both ATM cards and debit cards in Europe, but once I was in Belgium and the ATM would only take debit cards, not the regular ATM card. So my recommendation to you is to get a debit card to use in ATMs. Your bank s/b able to provide one. As a back-up, you could open an account at another bank for the sake of getting a second debit card. Make sure you know the fees charged by each bank, and notify your bank(s) that you will be using your debit card in Italy.
I have used both ATM cards and debit cards in Europe, but once I was in Belgium and the ATM would only take debit cards, not the regular ATM card. So my recommendation to you is to get a debit card to use in ATMs. Your bank s/b able to provide one. As a back-up, you could open an account at another bank for the sake of getting a second debit card. Make sure you know the fees charged by each bank, and notify your bank(s) that you will be using your debit card in Italy.
Jun 29th, 2005, 05:09 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,749
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Let me TRY to clear up some confusion. I think it may have been one of my posts that is causing you some concern.
For many years I have used my BankofAmerica ATM/debit card with no problems at literally hundreds of banks all over Europe. A couple of years ago after reading posts about the potential of having your checking account wiped out in the event your debit card is stolen, I switched my card to an ATM only one. That meant it had no VISA logo and it could not be used as a debit card. That summer (2003) I encountered a problem in that in Belgium I found that "all ATMs" are serviced by Visa International Services and if your card is an ATM ONLY card without a Visa (or possibly a Master Card symbol) then it WILL NOT WORK in Belgium. That certainly was the case with mine.
Then in 2004, in Italy we ran into more problems. While the ATM only card DID in fact work in many ATM's, it DID NOT in a number of others, including at Deutsche Banks in Italy -- which was surprising considering Deutsche Bank is a partner of BankofAmerica. An office manager at the Deutsche Bank in Rome told me that very recently (last summer) Deutsche Bank had switched how their ATM transactions are handled and that now no card will work in their ATMs unless it is also a debit card with a VISA logo (I believe a MasterCard logo will also work however, due to an agreement between Visa and MC). Sure enough, the card would not work.
So while many people will tell you it isn't an issue, I can assure you that it is becoming more and more of an issue in Europe if your card is an ATM only card. I have since switched my card back to an ATM/debit card and BankofAmerica has assured me I have total protection of my checking account in the event of theft of my card.
My suggestion? Make sure these days you have an ATM/debit card and there is a symbol on it linking it to VISA.
Call your bank and if your card is not linked to Visa (meaning it is also a debit card) then you MAY or may not need to search out an increasing number of Italian banks to find one where your card will work. If your bank is like most, they will be happy to switch it to an ATM/debit card as opposed to an ATM only card.
For many years I have used my BankofAmerica ATM/debit card with no problems at literally hundreds of banks all over Europe. A couple of years ago after reading posts about the potential of having your checking account wiped out in the event your debit card is stolen, I switched my card to an ATM only one. That meant it had no VISA logo and it could not be used as a debit card. That summer (2003) I encountered a problem in that in Belgium I found that "all ATMs" are serviced by Visa International Services and if your card is an ATM ONLY card without a Visa (or possibly a Master Card symbol) then it WILL NOT WORK in Belgium. That certainly was the case with mine.
Then in 2004, in Italy we ran into more problems. While the ATM only card DID in fact work in many ATM's, it DID NOT in a number of others, including at Deutsche Banks in Italy -- which was surprising considering Deutsche Bank is a partner of BankofAmerica. An office manager at the Deutsche Bank in Rome told me that very recently (last summer) Deutsche Bank had switched how their ATM transactions are handled and that now no card will work in their ATMs unless it is also a debit card with a VISA logo (I believe a MasterCard logo will also work however, due to an agreement between Visa and MC). Sure enough, the card would not work.
So while many people will tell you it isn't an issue, I can assure you that it is becoming more and more of an issue in Europe if your card is an ATM only card. I have since switched my card back to an ATM/debit card and BankofAmerica has assured me I have total protection of my checking account in the event of theft of my card.
My suggestion? Make sure these days you have an ATM/debit card and there is a symbol on it linking it to VISA.
Call your bank and if your card is not linked to Visa (meaning it is also a debit card) then you MAY or may not need to search out an increasing number of Italian banks to find one where your card will work. If your bank is like most, they will be happy to switch it to an ATM/debit card as opposed to an ATM only card.
Jun 29th, 2005, 05:20 AM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 576
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was worried about this, too, since our ATM card is not a debit card, and we were able to get cash at the ATMs we tried. Does that mean a non-debit card will work in all ATMs in Italy? Maybe not, but I can tell you that it will work in the ATM at the Florence airport and the machine near the steps to the Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso ;-)
Jun 29th, 2005, 05:41 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,872
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To avoid this potential nightmare this past March, I opened an account with a credit union (no per-transaction withdrawal fees) and got a card with the Visa logo. Then had them set the Visa amount and the debit amount to -0-. Worked fine in every ATM machine I used.
Jun 29th, 2005, 06:04 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,749
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Merrytraveler, at the risk of sounding like an alarmist, let me say that "yes, your ATM only card will work at many ATMs". The most frightening part was that in Italy we actually went to some of the exact same ATMs where our ATM only cards worked fine in 2003, but did not work at all in 2004. I found that more and more banks are switching their methods and so there will probably continue to be an increase in the number of ATMs where an ATM only card WILL NOT work. We had a very frustrating day in Venice, where we tried five or six ATMs before finding one that would take the ATM only card -- that was our worst experience. I'd have rather been doing a lot of other things than spending a couple hours searching out ATMs for one that would work for our card.
Jun 29th, 2005, 06:25 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,749
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"Yes, ATM card w/o Visa or MC logo will work in Italy"
Please ignore this very WRONG post. It should be amended to say that your card will work in SOME banks in Italy. I am positive that the poster has not tried it in ALL ATMS in Italy, or he/she would have found that it WILL NOT work in quite a few of them.
Period. End of story.
The idea that someone had no problem using a card at a couple of ATMs and therefore assuming and stating it will work in all of them is simply irresponsible posting.
Please ignore this very WRONG post. It should be amended to say that your card will work in SOME banks in Italy. I am positive that the poster has not tried it in ALL ATMS in Italy, or he/she would have found that it WILL NOT work in quite a few of them.
Period. End of story.
The idea that someone had no problem using a card at a couple of ATMs and therefore assuming and stating it will work in all of them is simply irresponsible posting.
Jun 29th, 2005, 06:31 AM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 25,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
While regular ATM cards work in most machines in Europe, isn't it better to be safe than sorry? Patrick and I have both learned the hard way that sometimes a regular ATM card cannot be used and you must have a debit card. Your bank will not charge you for getting a visa debit card, so why not just get one?
Jun 29th, 2005, 07:23 AM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
--------- quote ---------------------
Author: Patrick
Date: 06/29/2005, 10:25 am
"Yes, ATM card w/o Visa or MC logo will work in Italy"
Please ignore this very WRONG post. It should be amended to say that your card will work in SOME banks in Italy. I am positive that the poster has not tried it in ALL ATMS in Italy, or he/she would have found that it WILL NOT work in quite a few of them.
Period. End of story.
The idea that someone had no problem using a card at a couple of ATMs and therefore assuming and stating it will work in all of them is simply irresponsible posting.
---------- end quote --------------
A no logo ATM card will work on any ATM machine that has matching corresponding network. For example, my no logo ATM card is on PLUS network, technically all PLUS network ATMs should accept it (Japan being the exception whether the card is with or without logo).
As in any electronic transaction, the best backup in any country is still the old cold cash from some liquid currency.
Also, from my experience, when my card did not work on a particular machine, it was usually user error (mine). So when I retried, it worked.
And I don't think Patrick had tried all ATMs in any country either.
As usual, YMMV
Author: Patrick
Date: 06/29/2005, 10:25 am
"Yes, ATM card w/o Visa or MC logo will work in Italy"
Please ignore this very WRONG post. It should be amended to say that your card will work in SOME banks in Italy. I am positive that the poster has not tried it in ALL ATMS in Italy, or he/she would have found that it WILL NOT work in quite a few of them.
Period. End of story.
The idea that someone had no problem using a card at a couple of ATMs and therefore assuming and stating it will work in all of them is simply irresponsible posting.
---------- end quote --------------
A no logo ATM card will work on any ATM machine that has matching corresponding network. For example, my no logo ATM card is on PLUS network, technically all PLUS network ATMs should accept it (Japan being the exception whether the card is with or without logo).
As in any electronic transaction, the best backup in any country is still the old cold cash from some liquid currency.
Also, from my experience, when my card did not work on a particular machine, it was usually user error (mine). So when I retried, it worked.
And I don't think Patrick had tried all ATMs in any country either.
As usual, YMMV
Jun 29th, 2005, 07:50 AM
#14
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,749
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
e_t, what a totally silly post you just did!
If a person says an ATM only card will work in any ATM and hasn't tried it in EVERY ATM in Italy, then he has no right to make such a statement. He can only say that it has worked for him in the machines he has tried.
If a person says it WILL NOT work in ALL ATMs, he needs only to have tried it in one ATM and not have it work to make that statement and be correct.
Add me to the latter category. Except that my ATM only card will not work in quite a few ATMs in Europe. I don't need to try it in every one to find out it won't work in ALL. Get the point?
Would you like to argue with the bank manager at the Rome Deutsche Bank who INSISTS that ATM cards without a Visa logo WILL NOT work? Or any of those in any bank in Belgium? I can assure you from personal experience that my ATM only card with a Plus logo, but no VISA logo WILL NOT work at a variety of bank ATMS in Europe. And it is NOT due to any customer error on my part. Now could you get off your high horse and insist that because you haven't happened to have had a problem with an ATM only card, that no one else will either? I am not so stubborn that I would even think to say that everyone with an ATM only card WILL have a problem, but it is only fair to warn them that they MIGHT have a problem, despite your limited experience at a handful of banks without one.
If a person says an ATM only card will work in any ATM and hasn't tried it in EVERY ATM in Italy, then he has no right to make such a statement. He can only say that it has worked for him in the machines he has tried.
If a person says it WILL NOT work in ALL ATMs, he needs only to have tried it in one ATM and not have it work to make that statement and be correct.
Add me to the latter category. Except that my ATM only card will not work in quite a few ATMs in Europe. I don't need to try it in every one to find out it won't work in ALL. Get the point?
Would you like to argue with the bank manager at the Rome Deutsche Bank who INSISTS that ATM cards without a Visa logo WILL NOT work? Or any of those in any bank in Belgium? I can assure you from personal experience that my ATM only card with a Plus logo, but no VISA logo WILL NOT work at a variety of bank ATMS in Europe. And it is NOT due to any customer error on my part. Now could you get off your high horse and insist that because you haven't happened to have had a problem with an ATM only card, that no one else will either? I am not so stubborn that I would even think to say that everyone with an ATM only card WILL have a problem, but it is only fair to warn them that they MIGHT have a problem, despite your limited experience at a handful of banks without one.
Jun 29th, 2005, 08:21 AM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 25,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When I was unable to use my ATM card in Belgium, I initially thought it was my error. But after at least 3 tries on 5 different machines, I realized that the problem was with my card. Of course, I had the money in the bank at home to cover the withdrawal, but the ATM card simply wouldn't work. Upon returning from this trip I called my bank to ask what was the problem, and they said that in some places the visa debit card works where the ATM card doesn't. They sent me a debit card in the mail. Since then I have used my debit card for all ATM withdrawls in Europe and never had a minute's trouble.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Alpicella
Europe
4
May 17th, 2005 05:48 PM
